1
as in hissed
to make a sound like that of stretching out the speech sound \s\
with their satin costumes swishing, the little ballerinas chasséd onto the stage
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2
as in flapped
to move from side to side or up and down with quick jerky motions
the horse's tail swishes after every jump
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Recent Examples of swished
The ball swished through the net at the buzzer.
—
Ryan Gaydos, FOXNews.com, 30 Oct. 2025
Dresses swished and dress shoes clacked against the floor as couples danced for bragging rights in one of the biggest celebrations of Black culture in KC.
—Alexa Stone
updated October 21, Kansas City Star, 21 Oct. 2025
There was plenty of experimentation, too, seen via the shimmering tops in punchy shades like Big Bird yellow and flaming vermilion red, and the tinsel skirts that swished in all directions as models walked to a custom soundtrack by the British artist Steve McQueen.
—Kati Chitrakorn, CNN Money, 28 Sep. 2025
The video of serene waves that swished behind the curved stage at the start of Dua Lipa’s concert slowly intensified until the tide became a surge, an appropriate analogy for the pop superstar’s arrival in the US for the first time in more than three years.
—Melissa Ruggieri, USA Today, 6 Sep. 2025
But just as Indiana was on the verge of cutting the lead to a single possession, Powers fouled Clark’s former Iowa teammate Kate Martin on a 3-pointer right in front of Indiana’s bench and the second-year guard swished the shot to erupt the Chase Center crowd.
—Nathan Canilao, Mercury News, 1 Sep. 2025
This reminded me once seeing an elephant with a bunch of flies on its backside getting swished away by its tail.
—Reader Commentary, Baltimore Sun, 18 Aug. 2025
Ryan Gaydos, FOXNews.com, 30 Oct. 2025
Dresses swished and dress shoes clacked against the floor as couples danced for bragging rights in one of the biggest celebrations of Black culture in KC.
—Alexa Stone
updated October 21, Kansas City Star, 21 Oct. 2025
There was plenty of experimentation, too, seen via the shimmering tops in punchy shades like Big Bird yellow and flaming vermilion red, and the tinsel skirts that swished in all directions as models walked to a custom soundtrack by the British artist Steve McQueen.
—Kati Chitrakorn, CNN Money, 28 Sep. 2025
The video of serene waves that swished behind the curved stage at the start of Dua Lipa’s concert slowly intensified until the tide became a surge, an appropriate analogy for the pop superstar’s arrival in the US for the first time in more than three years.
—Melissa Ruggieri, USA Today, 6 Sep. 2025
But just as Indiana was on the verge of cutting the lead to a single possession, Powers fouled Clark’s former Iowa teammate Kate Martin on a 3-pointer right in front of Indiana’s bench and the second-year guard swished the shot to erupt the Chase Center crowd.
—Nathan Canilao, Mercury News, 1 Sep. 2025
This reminded me once seeing an elephant with a bunch of flies on its backside getting swished away by its tail.
—Reader Commentary, Baltimore Sun, 18 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for swished
Verb
-
Getting hissed off So here’s a thing that happened.—
Dalton Ross,
Entertainment Weekly,
25 Sep. 2025
-
Nineteen hours after departure the train took its final breath, hissed and braked into the historic port of Narvik.—
The Editors,
Outside,
31 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
Moytoy flapped his lips fast like an engine.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
21 Aug. 2025
-
Cunha, sitting on the turf, flapped his arms when Mbeumo failed to follow in for a tap-in.—
Laurie Whitwell,
New York Times,
18 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
Instead of slamming it home, Antetokounmpo soared over the defenders to make an improbable catch, landed and flicked an on-target pass to Rollins for a corner 3 before falling out of bounds to give Milwaukee a 14-point lead.—
Eric Nehm,
New York Times,
8 Nov. 2025
-
After initially suspecting a bullet or debris flicked up by a truck, the police ruled out both.—
Kaif Shaikh,
Interesting Engineering,
3 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
In Manassas Park, Virginia, a city that is nearly 40% Hispanic, the electorate swung 22 points to the left last week for Democratic Governor-elect Abigail Spanberger.—
Halle Troadec,
ABC News,
10 Nov. 2025
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In May, the indictment said, Clase agreed to throw a ball at a certain point in a game against the Los Angeles Dodgers, but the batter swung, resulting in a strike, costing the bettors $4,000 in wagers.—
NPR,
NPR,
9 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
His eyes twitched in rapid blinks, his lips disappeared as if cold fury were coursing through his body.—
George Packer,
The Atlantic,
6 Nov. 2025
-
Her hand twitched from the heat.—
Zuzana Říhová,
Literary Hub,
26 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Stone’s bobbed hair, styled often by Mara Roszak, was slightly pulled back, with sections of her auburn hair to frame her face.—
Julia Teti,
Footwear News,
22 Oct. 2025
-
The voice bobbed and weaved like a cornered boxer.—
Sean Keeler,
Denver Post,
19 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Her tail wagged with excitement at the new territory.—
Liz O'Connell,
MSNBC Newsweek,
10 Sep. 2025
-
Hope then asked to hold the pup, who has curly sandy-colored fur and wagged her tail as the 6-year-old held her in her arms (with a little help from her mom).—
Hannah Sacks,
People.com,
2 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Allen, who is 6 foot 5 and 237 pounds, jerked his head back in an effort to draw a roughing penalty on Bolton.—
Pete Grathoff,
Kansas City Star,
3 Nov. 2025
-
Travis jerked open the door and slid on his butt down a wing that was on fire.—
Gillian Telling,
PEOPLE,
20 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Swished.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/swished. Accessed 11 Nov. 2025.
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